Holidays, Family, and Flying

Happy Friday! This week has been crazy eventful for sure! Being home with family is so much fun, but also so exhausting. I took SO many pictures this week! Most of the pictures were of the Christmas tree because I can never capture what it really looks like all lit up.

Monday: Merry Christmas!

I am so glad that I was able to be home for Christmas- especially a white Christmas! I love looking at snow, just not having to be outside with it. I used to love everything about it, but now I think I have been away long enough that I have become unaccustomed to the freezing cold that goes along with it.

I woke up at about 8:30, and then ate some breakfast while I waited for the coffee maker to brew the coffee. I was the last one up this year, which I think is super funny because I used always be the first one up on Christmas morning when I was little.

We all took our coffee into the living room and started giving presents. I love picking out the perfect presents for my family. I get all of my shopping done early on in the year, and sometimes forget what I have bought by the time Christmas rolls around.

I bought my little niece a Jelly Cat stuffed animal. They are the cutest and softest stuffed animals that I have ever seen! I first saw them at Anthropologie, but you can buy them on Amazon for a little cheaper. I bought the medium sized option, and it was perfect.

I started going to a bible study this year, and have become more invested in my faith. Because of this, a lot of my gifts were God-themed. I am really excited to read the Devotional that my mom gave me; I had been asking her for advice on where to find a good one just the other day!

Everyone does their faith life differently, and I think that it is important to do what works for you. Some people like talking about their faith with everyone they meet, and others like to live it without talking about it, and prefer to show their faith through their actions. I never thought I would join a bible study, and I am so glad that I did- I am learning so much. I also thought that I knew a lot about my faith, and after one bible study meeting, it turns out that I know a lot less than I thought!

After we opened presents (and showered!) we bundled up and headed to my aunt’s house. My aunt has the cutest dog, Socks. Socks’ personality reminds me of Allie’s. At my aunt’s we always play a White Elephant game. Our game always has some really good gifts, and some gifts you really don’t want. This year, I think all of the gifts were really good, and I wanted them all. In the end, I got a candle! And it smells so good! My mom got a cute blanket and pillow set. She is keeping the blanket, but giving me the pillow. 🙂

We ate so much and had such a good time getting to see everyone. The apple pie didn’t have any dairy or eggs in it, so I treated myself to a piece. As soon as we came home, I headed to bed!

Tuesday

Sleeping in is a rarity for me- it never happens. On the weekends, my one and only chance to sleep in, my dog wakes me up bright and early to go outside. Because of this, whenever I get the chance to sleep in, I go for it.

After sleeping in and showering, my brother and I decided to go flying. My brother, Jack, is an instrument-rated private pilot and is currently working on his commercial license. In order to be a commercial pilot, you need to complete 1,500 flying hours as well as pass a few tests. This was my first time getting to fly with him, so I was so excited!

We had been talking about going flying on Christmas, and we were tried to figure out a good destination. In the little airplanes, he has enough fuel to go anywhere that is five hours away. We talked about going to Hilton Head, Pittsburg, or West Virginia. In the end, we decided on a short flight, and to fly around Ohio. The entire trip was a little longer than an hour.

The airport was about a thirty-minute drive from my parent’s house. The airport itself was so cute! I met my brother’s flight instructor and saw a few planes taking off. Leaving the airport’s “lobby,” and walking to the plane was the worst part: it was FREEZING! I am not sure how cold it was, but I could see my breath when I talked, and remembered why I live in Texas.

Before we took off, Jack checked the plane, the fuel, and handed me a headset to wear. The airplane was made in the late 1960s but had a new engine. It looked so cool and retro. The headset I wore was my brother’s original headset. When he passed his private pilot license, he bought himself his new pair to celebrate. Who knew that there were “nice” headsets?! Apparently, there are some headsets that even have Bluetooth.

The flight itself was super cool. I think that I talked the entire time in the headset to my brother. I’m not sure that he wanted to hear everything that I was saying, but we were trapped in an airplane, so he couldn’t get away!

The houses and trees below looked so pretty with all the snow on them, When you are flying commercially, you don’t get the luxury of peering out the window the entire time and asking the pilot to change altitudes. Super neat. I still can’t get over how impressed I was with Jack. Every so often he would talk to the control towers and airplanes nearby and sounded so official.

The flight itself wasn’t choppy, even though Jack claimed it to be a little. Once, however, we hit an air pocket and the coffee flew out of my cup and onto the opposite side of the plane! Because we were inside a small plane, when the plane jumped, it felt as though we fell multiple feet. At this point, I was a bit scared and started wondering if there were any parachutes. (After the flight, I asked Jack if there were parachutes just in case. The answer? No.)

Later that night, we all went out to eat at The Athletic Club of Columbus. My family belongs to this club, and my dad is a part of a bowling league as well as a squash team. They recently underwent construction, and so I had never been in the upgraded dining room. It had a modern vibe, and I loved all of the new furniture. Our table had a couch instead of chairs, and it was all so chic. For dinner, I ordered a red quinoa bowl, filled with kale and vegetables…and a side of sweet potato fries. Whenever I see sweet potato fries on the menu, I order them. I can’t help myself, they are just so good! My mom had a salad to start, and it looked so good!

I slept on Wednesday and it felt so good! I had a lazy, at-home kind of day. I think the most active thing I did was a quick thirty-minute workout. The majority of the day I spent drinking coffee, looking for farmhouse/rustic furniture for my apartment. I think I spent a bit too much time on Pinterest because I had way too many ideas for a 600 square foot apartment!

I still can’t decide on what I want to do! I like the farmhouse vibe, but I also think that the more modern look is so cute.

For lunch, I had leftovers from the night before. I added kale, spinach, and half of an avocado to my quinoa dish. The avocado made it a completely different meal- I loved it!

My dad built another fire in the evening, and it was so pretty and warm. I wish that my Houston apartment had a fireplace. There is just something good about a fire in the winter.

My mom made dinner, and as always, it was delicious. She made rice that we topped with a curry. She is such a good cook!

Thursday was my last day in Ohio, and I spent the day shopping with my mom, and looking for cute furniture and walking around TJMaxx. All the furniture we saw was super cute, just also super expensive. It was also hard walking around TJ without buying anything! Having a small suitcase is a curse, I knew if I bought anything it wouldn’t fit.

We stopped by Crimson Cup for a cup of coffee, and I ended up getting a latte. I typically ask for an extra shot of espresso so that it tastes a tad stronger, and I was frustrated that I forgot to ask. Either way, it was still good!

I was sad to leave but really happy to get to my pup, and my life back in Texas.

Leaving is always bittersweet. I wish that all of my family lived closer by, or that I could visit more often. In a perfect world, we’d all live near eachother…in warm weather! 🙂

Thanks for reading, I hope you all had a great Christmas with your family!

Questions for YOU:

What are your favorite things to do when you are home with the family?